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big dog

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Everything posted by big dog

  1. big dog
    Toward the end of Ripken's career people were calling him selfish for insisting he be in the lineup when he was clearly not helping the team. Tough,maybe, but that isn't always best.
  2. big dog
    I don't necessarily blame the team for players who play hurt. If I were in Cola's situation, I would feel like I was fighting for my career with every at-bat. If I say I'm hurt, it gives the team a reason to look elsewhere. My daughter is a college varsity soccer player who got relatively little playing time last year as a freshman. She was competing for a starting spot this fall, and was given a chance in the first game of the season. The day before she had taken a pretty bad fall due to a collision in practice and hurt her neck. She warmed up for the game, and didn't feel ready to play. The coach told her to talk to the trainer, the trainer told her she should sit out, and the coach has held it against her all fall, reminding her that when she did get a chance to start, she wasn't "mentally ready". Because I guess having an injury means you aren't mentally ready. This is of course one of 36 million similar stories from athletes. Why would I risk that with a major league career? I would do what I did in my college career- suck it up, rub a little dirt on it, get on the field, and let the coach tell me if I'm too injured to play. Dumb idea, but it's a natural way to do it.
  3. big dog
    Yeah, except all the guys in the first group have rings and the guys in the second group don't...
  4. big dog
    I don't have any strong feelings about Viola, but he would certainly count as outside personnel. He hasn't done anything with the Twins in what, 25 years? He's been with several other organizations. Plenty of outside perspective there. Pitching coaches are a mystery to me. A few always seem to have really good pitchers, a few have a mystique that doesn't seem deserved (Don Cooper, maybe), and I'm sure they are important but as with anything, different coaches seem to relate better or worse to different pitchers. I just hope whoever they get can offer suggestions to pitchers with different styles and not try to make everyone into the same mold.
  5. big dog
    The tampering issue isn't that Maddon opted out, then signed a contract with the Cubs. The Rays' issue is that Maddon might have opted out only after being asked by the Cubs about replacing Renteria. MLB doesn't allow teams to contact people under contract about new positions, unless the contract club gives permission. If the Cubs didn't talk with Maddon before he opted out, it's not tampering. Even if they did, it's only a problem for them if it can be proven.
  6. big dog
    I don't think it's collusion, which we usually think of as among owners/people with similar positions. This is more like tampering. I'll be surprised if the Rays don't file a complaint with the Ghost of Bud Selig.
  7. big dog
    Yeah, my guess is he might like to try on some large-market challenges for a change. I used to enjoy buying used cars because they were a good deal. Now I sometimes buy new cars. I like them better. If it weren't my money, I'd always buy new cars. And it's not his money. He's 60 years old, he's gonna get paid. Why should he take the most money? I think he's going to take the best opportunity.
  8. big dog
    Nolasco definitely showed signs of being a serviceable AL pitcher after he got off the DL. Not what I hoped for, but still an upgrade. I expect he will be a solid 3-4 for a while. I'm not in a rush to trade him.
  9. big dog
    They have certainly managed to take all the air out of their opponents. Hosmer and Cain are hot right now, and Moustakas has a half-season of HRs in 8 games. It's fun to see what momentum can do.
  10. big dog
    Looking at those rosters, it seems like most years the group turns into 1-3 at least somewhat productive major leaguers. By somewhat productive I'm just thinking of more than a few brief appearances (my definition: Matthew Lecroy, yes, Tyler Robertson, no). The high is 5 in 1998 including Mike Lincoln (263 appearances in MLB). 2004 was a good year as well, or at least it was until Kubel tore up his knee (Baker, Crain, Bartlett, Kubel). Let's hope for at least 5 out of this group. It looks a lot stronger than the the others, especially recent years. 2008-2010 didn't work out too well compared to average.
  11. big dog
    Hey SD, I like your vision. It makes more sense as a whole than any of the individual parts do.
  12. big dog
    Please stop, you're scaring the children.
  13. big dog
    Contraction threats are similar to blackmail/kidnapping. Drug testing was too little, too late, too tentative. Do it or don't do it, don't make it look like you are doing it when you effectively aren't. Does it work now? I doubt it, despite what they say. I don't like interleague play but I'm sure many fans do, so that's a positive. The wild card made sense, but the season going into November doesn't make sense. Putting Milwaukee back in the NL only made sense if you felt you owed something to Milwaukee...such as if you were a former owner and a resident of the city. Late-night World Series games benefit TV, as does everything else Selig did, and the owners and players, but not the fans. Selig is a former owner, employed by the owners, and he made the owners rich. Job well done, I guess. I'm sure the players are thrilled they have a chance to play for $20 million contracts instead of those piddly $5 million contracts. As a fan, his overall performance has reduced my enjoyment of the game.
  14. big dog
    I completely agree- not Schafer's fault, but the result was the same. And it goes beyond bad throws- bad baserunning is another example. The team needs better fundamentals. Arcia did make a really nice throw toward third last night, hitting the cutoff man perfectly and keeping the runner at second. I haven't given up hope, but you are right- it is embarrassing.
  15. big dog
    I agree, it's embarrassing, and it isn't just the pitching. If I hear Gardy talk one more time about how the team plays the game the right way, I will smash something expensive. These teams are not fundamentally sound- they give away runs. It isn't being inexperienced, it's throwing to the wrong base, not hitting the cutoff man (Arcia, game after game), not being in position to take the throw, etc. The other day Shafer threw to second base, and no one was there. The runner, obviously, took second (and then third). This has to stop.
  16. big dog
    Ooh, and we can have them throw disco records in a pile in the outfield, and we could blow them up with real dynamite!!! Ah, those were the good old days. Dime beers and dynamite- that could work.
  17. big dog
    This site says it is six months. http://www.thecubreporter.com/book/export/html/3506
  18. big dog
    Kendrys Morales for Stephen Pryor is looking like an awfully good trade right now.
  19. big dog
    I personally loved the way a 23-yr-old told someone else what the team is paying him to do. Just think how much advice Arcia will have if his average climbs over, say, .230. I'm glad Gardy's apparently just rolled with it, though.
  20. big dog
    Very sorry about Buxton. Hope he bounces back quickly. Lots of good news last night. Free Max Murphy!!! Great to see Oliveros continue his success as well. 74 K's in 55 IP. Oh, and Levi Michael is batting .667 and has stolen two bases per game at AA. What does he have to do to move up?? I suppose playing a second game for the team isn't unreasonable, as long as he's unpacked and everything. : )
  21. big dog
    Murphy's already been at CR for a week- he's got nothing to prove. Move him up! Free Max Murphy! ok, maybe that's a bit premature...
  22. big dog
    I know there are concerns about Gardy's handling of young players, but I really like how he's used Santana and Arcia, and how he's keeping Arcia going without any sort of public doghouse despite his troubles. I agree, a big last two months from Arcia would be a huge boost for next year.
  23. big dog
    I just want him to be consistent so the team can make a decision on him. Who is he, really? Do we keep him or not? I have no idea. I'd rather have him succeed, but right now he's just teasing us. I have no idea what to expect. That's not good enough, at least not for a team with any aspirations.
  24. big dog
  25. big dog
    This was really interesting. Thank you for doing it.
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